November, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Del Mar’s 2024 Summer Meet Will Begin July 20; Later Start Due To San Diego County Fair Extension

Del Mar will open its 2024 summer meeting – the 85th at the iconic seaside oval – on Saturday, July 20.

The slightly-later-than-usual start to the season was keyed by the fact that the San Diego Country Fair will conduct its popular gathering a bit past its usual finale on July 4, going forward instead to Sunday, July 7.

Del Mar will need the extra time from July 8 onward to prepare its racing surfaces and stable area for the start of the meet and to ensure its safety protocols are all in place.

The summer meet will provide eight weeks of racing and conclude on Sunday, September 8.

Further, Del Mar also has finalized its fall racing dates which will be highlighted by the 41st edition of the Breeders' Cup, the third time the championship event has come to the shore.

Opening Day of the 11th Bing Crosby Season will be on Thursday, October 31. Then that Friday and Saturday – November 1 and 2 – will showcase the 14 Breeders' Cup races with $31 million in purses and awards.

In total the fall meet will operate for five weeks and conclude on Sunday, December 1.

Del Mar's allocation of the 2024 Southern California racing calendar was approved this past August by the California Horse Racing Board.

The post Del Mar’s 2024 Summer Meet Will Begin July 20; Later Start Due To San Diego County Fair Extension appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Monopoly Stinks: Try These Five Board Games Instead

I have friends that swear by Monopoly, but I’ve never been a fan. I’d go so far as to say I consider it a truly awful game. It lacks the most important element a game should have: fun. Ohhh, let’s play capitalism on a board and spend 6-8 hours trying to bleed your friends dry so that one person emerges with all of the money. Mortgage, rent, utilities, jail – sounds like a blast, can I be the boot?!?! Look, I understand a whole generation grew up on Monopoly, but kids also used to play Jacks. Times change …

Robin Goodfellow’s racing tips: Best bets for Tuesday, November 28

Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Tuesday's meetings at Southwell and Sedgefield.

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Wait And See? Surgery Not Always Necessary For Equine OCDs

Osteochondrosis (OCD) is a common issue in a young horse's joints, characterized by loose cartilage and/or bone fragments found in the joint capsule. Though it can sound scary, many OCD lesions heal on their own within a few months, making the condition temporary.

OCDs that don't heal on their own, however, can cause permanent issues if not dealt with.

The issue varies from horse to horse and its severity may be linked to the environment, genetics or the breed of horse, reports The Horse. Osteochondrosis occurs only in young horses: as the bones lengthen, cartilage is laid down at the end of a bone where it meets another bone; this cartilage eventually turns to bone through ossification. OCDs occur when there is a blood flow issue during the ossification process; these lesions can occur in any joint, though the fetlocks, hocks and stifles are the most prevalent joints affected.

Why blood flow to the ends of some bones isn't adequate isn't well understood, but it could be the result of biology, a bacterial infection in the joint, trauma, or physical damage. Osteochondrosis research shows that as many as 50 percent of Dutch Warmblood and Standardbred foals may have OCDs.

OCDs occur only in domesticated horses. This implies that osteochondrosis is heritable and that selective breeding has exacerbated the problem, possibly by breeding for faster-growing, bigger horses. This does not, however, mean that we can eradicate the issue by breeding only non-affected horses as the disease is so complex.

Nutrition can also exacerbate osteochondrosis formation if a young horse is fed high-energy meals, which causes them to grow faster. Foals that are kept in stalls also are at greater risk of developing OCDs.

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Often diagnosed when the horse presents with pain and swelling, OCDs in fetlocks and stifles will often heal on their own if the horse is under 18 months old. OCDs in the femur resolve well in nearly all instances; hock lesions are 60 percent likely to heal on their own and fetlock lesions heal on their own 50 percent of the time.

In joints that don't heal on their own, arthroscopic surgery is often performed to remove the offending pieces of bone or cartilage from the joint. Surgery can reduce the risk of osteoarthritis in the joint, increase sale value and improve performance.